Partners are ready for the “Creative Residency for Sustainability” journey

How can artistic expertise engage in dialogues and developments of sustainability?

NDPC together with project partners will develop and carry out a new creative cross-innovation method pilot. In this cross-disciplinary process the traditional artist residency concept will be reshaped into the corporate working-life context. For the duration of three months, one artist will undertake an artistic residency in a company setting. Within the context of sustainability, this project aims to create new methodology and dialogues between the arts, business, and society.

The project combines actors in the Northern Sweden, Norway and Finland, all with interest to cross-disciplinary actions around sustainability and futures thinking.

Meet the project partners!

The pilot residency is carried out during spring 2023 in Boden, Norrbotten region (Sweden). Project partner länskonsthall Havremagasinet, one of Sweden´s largest spaces for contemporary art, develops the residency framework together with NDPC serving as a producer and intermediary for the residency pilot. Havremagasinet will invite a well-fitting company from Boden to host the artist residency. Thereafter Havremagasinet will match the company with a professional artist to work onsite in the company for the period of the residency. The expectations for the pilot will be outlined together, and the artist and company will be supported for the best possible experience of collaboration. The role of the intermediary is evident, and one question the project aims to address is: “What can be the role of the art institution, in mediating new cross-cutting collaborations and dialogues related to sustainability, society and future shaping?”

Project partner Tromsø Art Academy (Norway) will support the process and engage in the evaluation of the pilot residency. Together with other project partners the Academy´s expertise is essential to create best means for evaluating the pilot, and to understand how the residency creates value for the company, the artist, the intermediary and in the society at large. The residency pilot experience will be shared together with the academy students to discuss further the possibilities of new cross-sectoral fields of work and the role of the artist.

Project partner BusinessOulu (Finland) is a public service hub providing support for businesses and entrepreneurs in its region. BusinessOulu takes part in the project by developing the residency methodology together with other project partners, and by addressing the residency methodology as a possible tool for building the creative innovation capacity of companies and organisations, BusinesssOulu will address the question: “For companies, can Creative Residency for Sustainability be one source of new thinking and fresh perspectives?” BusinessOulu will host an event to share the residency pilot experience, created methodology with its networks.

Are you curious to know more about the pilot residency outcomes? Stay tuned! In spring 2023 NDPC will share updates on the launch of the pilot, but in autumn 2023 NDPC is looking forward to host an open webinar about the pilot experience and sharing  the developed methodology in a toolkit format for wider use and inspiration! Creative Residency for Sustainability pilot is part of the NDPC project “Creative Cross-Innovations for Sustainability”, financed by the Foreign Ministry of Finland (funding instrument of co-operation in the Baltic Sea, Barents and Arctic region).  The project will be finished by the end of 2023.

Pictures: Krista Petäjäjärvi from NDPC visited recently the project partners in the North.